Citizens for Fairfax Community Sept Meeting Report

Citizens for Fairfax Community, Inc. (CFC)
6:35 PM, 9/28/10 Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes:

HEADLINES:
▪   Fundraising of $2,500 to $5,000 to match a VCDP planning grant continues to be an immediate, high priority. Please see the full report, at www.FranklinOne.com or www.vtgrandpa.com/forums/current news and events, for details; and please consider contributing $100, or whatever amount feels right to you, right now –to help us move into the next phase of making a Fairfax area Community Center a reality. Contributions can be mailed to: CFC Treasurer, c/o 234 River Rd, Fairfax.
▪   Our Annual Membership Meeting and potluck supper will take place at 6:00 PM. Tuesday, October 26, at the Inn at Grace Farm. Although all members and interested folks are welcome at monthly Board meetings, the Annual Meeting is the time when members vote on new Board members. It is also our opportunity to gather together to hear a summary of the past year’s activities and next year’s plans and to enjoy great food and socializing.
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In attendance: Mark Hunziker,* Susie Posner-Jones,* Amanda Duling,* Mary Taylor,* Elizabeth Griffin,* Katrina Antonovich, Elijah and Abigail Posner-Jones
(* indicates Board-members)

▪   The minutes of the Aug. 29, 2010 meeting were approved.

Fundraising: Our top priority right now is to raise funds so that we can have the required matching funds ($5,000) for the $20,000 VCDP planning grant we need to apply for. In order to keep things moving along as we would like, we need to raise these funds quickly; so that we can go through the steps to be considered at VCDP’s Dec. 8 meeting. The planning grant is needed in order to hire professional help to:
1.   Narrow the estimate range for our purchase and renovation costs for the Baptist bldg.
2.   Identify the main tenants who will use the space and contribute to costs.
3.   Create a business plan for all aspects of running the center.
4.   Plan and organize our capital campaign for the purchase and renovation funds.

▪   Our Treasurer was unable to attend; so we did not get a dollar figure on contributions to date. Mark was able to give a rough estimate. Although it is somewhat disappointing that we nave not yet gotten a flood of donations, it was pointed out that, given the very limited publicity that we have given the campaign so far, the moderate response that we did get can be seen as quite encouraging. The discussion turned to additional ways to spread the word.
•   Katrina will post our appeal on our CFC Facebook page
•   Skip Taylor has prepared a great essay about CFC and our current fundraising needs; and has volunteered to print multiple copies for distribution. The Board will ask him to do so for our annual meeting.
•   Susie will create a headlines/bullet-point version as a flyer; to be distributed at local public venues and at the annual meeting.
•   Other fundraising activities that would take longer to accomplish, such as a groceries raffle and benefit performances, were put on hold until we see how current efforts go.

Other requirements for the VCDP grant application process:
▪   Liz reported that the letter from the United Church Board, Baptist Trustees, and Masons, granting us access to the Baptist Bldg, has been received.
▪   The Selectboard notified Susie that providing us with a letter of support for our grant application will require a formal resolution, properly publicly warned, etc. In order to fit with our timeline for a Dec. 8 grant consideration by VCDP, Susie will get a draft of the letter to the Selectboard ASAP.
▪   A letter of support from the Northwest Regional Planning Commission is forthcoming.
▪   Susie will write up a description of exactly what activities we plan to fund with the grant, and a breakdown of their expected costs.
▪   Katrina had an informal conversation with Senator Leahy about our activities; but Leahy and Sanders’ offices still need to be formally informed.

Board nominations:
▪   The nominating committee reported that three people have agreed to serve as new Trustees. This leaves three additional slots to fill to bring the Board to its maximum complement of twelve. Additional prospects were discussed; and Barb and Katrina will reach out to them.
▪   The nominees will be voted upon at our Annual Meeting.

Business plan (Amanda has been fleshing out the business plan and raised a few questions):
▪   What organizations would be the primary users of the community center space?
▪   Would CFC initiate programming at the center, or serve in just a “landlord” role?
▪   Would CFC manage all events at the ctr. (scheduling, marketing, prioritizing, etc.)?
Various opinions and visions were expressed; but the bottom-line was that these are complex questions and we do not yet have all the information needed to make the decisions. The labor-intensive work of exploring the specifics of the demands for use and the economics are, in fact, one of the primary areas of activity that we need to hire expert help for —hence the need for the VCDP grant.

Dear-Hunters’ Breakfast:
▪   Liz will contact John Shraven to discuss how we can help with the advertising, serving, etc.

Annual Meeting:
▪   Our Annual Membership Meeting and potluck supper will take place at 6:00 PM. Tuesday, October 26, at the Inn at Grace Farm. Although all members and interested folks are welcome at monthly Board meetings, the Annual Meeting is the time when members vote on new Board members. It is also our opportunity to gather together to hear a summary of the past year’s activities and next year’s plans and to enjoy great food and socializing.
▪   Amanda will take over the lead for the Annual Meeting committee for Barb, who is dealing with an unexpected surge in family responsibilities. Mary, Liz, and Barb will help Amanda as needed.
▪   Where possible, we will use the same approaches mentioned above under “fundraising” to publicly encourage interested Fairfax area residents to attend.

CFC Logo:
▪   We had tabled the discussion of creating a CFC logo until we had a specific home for the Community Center in mind. Now that we are focused on the Baptist building, it is time to look for design ideas. Susie will work on getting a block-print style drawing for the Board to consider.

Partnership possibilities with the Rec. Department: As Director of the Fairfax Recreation Department, Katrina pointed out the many similarities in the concerns, visions, and plans of the two organizations. The Board agreed that every opportunity for partnering and mutual support needs to be taken advantage of. Katrina will explore some possibilities with the Rec. Dept. Board at their next meeting.

Meeting adjourned: 8:10 (moved by Mark, seconded by Amanda)

Next Meeting: our 2010 Annual Membership Meeting, Tues, Oct. 26, at 6:00pm, at the Inn at Grace Farm. Its a pot luck supper; so please contact our coordinator, Amanda at 527-3923.

Agenda in brief:
▪   Eat and have fun
▪   Elect new members to the Board of Trustees
▪   Review 2010 and preview 2011

Respectfully submitted,
Mark Hunziker, Secretary